Arsenal stars have begun discussing the form of title rivals Manchester City after the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, according to striker Michail Antonio. The forward claims that private chats have pivoted from discussing the team's own form to that of their closest competitors for the Premier League trophy.
It comes as the Gunners saw their lead at the top cut in half from eight points down to just four, with City holding a game in hand. It has put extra emphasis on the huge head-to-head between the two sides next week, but the immediate focus for the north London outfit is a home clash with Southampton on Friday.
"Every game is an opportunity," Mikel Arteta said in his press conference before hosting the Saints the next day. "Every game has given you a gift and that gift is what do you learn. We have another gift tomorrow and we have to take it and do it nicely in a way that we want it."
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The game will be a huge test of Arsenal's ability to bounce back from their past two draws and back to winning ways before the trip to Manchester. Leading up to that huge clash, most of the discussion from Arteta this season has been about focusing on what his side can do rather than their opponents.
It appeared as though that message got through for the majority, but in recent weeks and with some dropped points, that talk in the Arsenal camp may have shifted. That's according to Antonio, who said on The Footballer's Football Podcast: "I heard this from someone that works at Arsenal. All season they've been concentrating on themselves, just playing how they play. They've been playing so well.
"But last week, when they drew with Liverpool, and City got that bit closer, it was the first time all season that this person – I'm not going to say who the person is – heard players start talking about City and how well City have been playing. So they are definitely feeling the pressure from City chasing them."
It remains to be seen whether that is the case or if the Gunners may actually thrive from the pressure in the final few games of the campaign. However, the battle for Arteta is getting that focus back on his team and what they can do going forward, with the title race still in their hands.
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